ha ha, likewise. funny, I don't usually scan posts in the "new" section - yet here we were, cross-checking/posting on eachothers'.
good quote.
t'is a fine line, determining when and when not to speak up. as in the situation with the brother-in-law - maybe the lesson is to just accept him as he is and honor him with the respect for his own life choices. though then again, maybe you can see things in his blind spots, and could serve him very well by speaking up and introducing the possibility of a higher standard for him to live up to.
maybe it's just a part of maturation, knowing when to discern what is avoidance and when it's appropriate to take a hands-off approach. no absolute answers all the time...